altered course
by syn010110
Summary: A "what-if" AU re-imaging of the first season of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. What if Precia's motivations were different, Alicia never died and Fate never existed? This is my answer to that question! Much darker in tone than canon, so beware.
1. Prologue

It was too lovely a day to die.

Clutching his cloak more tightly around his shoulders, shivering from the cold and loss of blood, Yuuno Scrya stumbled his way through the trees and bushes. He wouldn't have the benefit of this cover for long-it was just a grove of trees planted in a public park. But he didn't believe he was being pursued any longer.

It was unlikely that his attacker had remained behind. He had lost it; she already had obtained what she came for. Yuuno was reasonably certain that she had already escaped back to her base of operations.

His vision started to blur. 'Not again,' thought Yuuno dimly, slowing his pace slightly as he started to weave on his feet.

The battle had been over almost before it began. The glowing scythe blade of the black-clad girl's Intelligent Device had cut a deep gash into his back. It was only due to the protection his Barrier Jacket provided that he was even still breathing. Bright blood flowed freely from the awful wound, soaking his clothing and dripping into the grass below.

If he could only find some shelter, he would be able to heal the wound enough to stabilize his condition. He wouldn't die from this. He couldn't die from this-recovering the Lost Logia was his responsibility. He had discovered them and they had become lost on this non-administrated world while under his care. Recovering them was his duty.

But that was before he knew there was another interested party. The black-clad girl he had run afoul of was obviously from the same world as he-another Midchildan, another mage. Yuuno's skills were insufficient to stand up directly against the interloper. She was quite obviously a combat type-and he was an academic, a researcher. Yuuno wasn't terribly surprised that she managed to get the drop on him and take him completely out of the fight with a single blow.

Yuuno sighed in relief as he stumbled across a small utility shed. It would be a simple task to open the lock. Closing his eyes, Yuuno cast a spell that was designed to sunder barriers and open seals. A green-white magic circle sprang into being beneath his feet, glowing brightly in the cold, clear winter morning.

The lock suddenly snapped open. Exhausted even from the simple casting, Yuuno slumped against the door, fumbling with the latch and opening the shed. He closed the door behind him and conjured a magical light.

A glowing ball of green-white appeared suddenly in the air above his head, illuminating the interior of the shed. There wasn't much inside other than a handful of gardening tools, but it appeared that some of the groundskeepers had kept a folding lawn chair and a few other useful items inside. Yuuno opened the chair up and adjusted it to lay flat, forming a crude cot. He laid facedown on the makeshift bed and closed his eyes, focusing his remaining magical power on healing the wound to his back.

Yuuno felt the tingling sensation of the healing taking effect, speeding the natural regenerative processes in his body. He groaned in relief as the burning pain from the slash slowly faded. The healing spell would continue to slowly repair the wound, but he had run out of stamina. Yuuno's green eyes drooped and finally closed, unable to stave off unconsciousness any longer.

"Please... somebody... help me," murmured Yuuno under his breath as he fell fast asleep, the conjured globe of light slowly fading out of existence.

* * *

"Please... somebody... help me..."

Nanoha Takamachi sat up abruptly, her blue eyes wide, glancing around her bedroom, searching for the source of the strange voice. It was the sound of a boy's voice-he couldn't have been much older than she was.

"Must have been a dream," Nanoha said aloud, shaking her head. She laid back down on her bed and picked up her mobile phone. The clock displayed 5:40 am. It was still early yet, but she would need to get up within the next twenty minutes. Nanoha had never been one to sleep in much, so she decided she might as well get on with her day.

Tossing the blankets and sheets back, Nanoha stood up and padded barefoot across her bedroom and through the hall, heading for the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and turned the shower on, stripping her nightshirt off and depositing it in the hamper. The girl stepped under the cascade of steaming water, sighing softly as the intense warmth jolted her into full awareness.

She spent longer than usual in the shower, letting the hot water flow over her body and soak into her muscles. For some reason she felt a little weak, maybe even sick. She didn't know why. But it was hardly enough to keep her down. Nanoha turned the water off and stepped out, patting her skin dry with an enormous plush towel.

She took her time dressing and brushing her hair, pulling the mass of reddish-brown hair back into a tight ponytail. It had grown rather long since she had stopped cutting it; her hair fell nearly to her waist, now.

"Nanoha! Why are you taking so long?"

The thirteen-year-old girl grinned and replied, "Sorry, Miyuki-oneechan. I'll be out in a moment."

"Hurry up, I have to pee," complained Nanoha's sister, Miyuki. Nanoha sighed theatrically and finished up her makeup, opening the door and smiling broadly at her older sister. "There you go."

Miyuki made a rude sound and slammed the door behind her, leaving the younger sibling shaking her head and smiling. Nanoha walked down the hall toward the common room and the kitchen, where her mother was busy fixing breakfast.

"Good morning, Nanoha," said her mother, Momoko. "You're up awfully early today."

"My eyes just decided to open this early is all," Nanoha explained as she sat down at the table. "Where's Dad?"

"Out in the dojo," Momoko replied.

"He seemed pretty lonely ever since Kyou-oniichan moved out," Nanoha mused aloud. "I wonder if he's okay?"

"Well, he still has me and Miyuki still spars with him just about every day," the elder Takamachi pointed out. "We couldn't keep Kyouya here forever, you know. He's his own man now, with his own family to take care of."

"Shinobu's really starting to show," said Miyuki's voice from the hallway. The young woman had already changed into a pair of track pants and a black tank top, her usual training attire. Miyuki sat down next to her sister at the table and waited as Momoko brought each of them a plate piled high with fluffy buttermilk pancakes.

"When's the baby due?" Nanoha inquired.

"Sometime in February is what Shinobu told me last time we spoke," said Miyuki as she popped a forkful of pancake into her mouth. Chewing and swallowing, she continued, "I asked her what it was going to be, but both her and Kyou said they wanted it to be a surprise. So we won't know until the baby's born."

"It feels kind of weird to know I'm going to be an aunt at thirteen," said Nanoha as she started to work on her own plate of pancakes.

"It feels kind of weird to know I'm going to be a grandmother at my age," breathed Momoko exasperatedly. "Anyway, Nanoha, your midterms start soon, don't they?"

"In two weeks," the teenage girl said around a mouthful of pancakes. "Alisa and Suzuka and I are going to start up a study group to make sure we're ready for them."

"Thanks for the meal," said Miyuki, standing up and walking toward the kitchen door leading to the back yard and the small dojo the Takamachi family maintained. Nanoha watched her sister leave while silently finishing her breakfast.

"I'm done also," said Nanoha, standing up and heading down the hall back for her room. She picked up her bookbag and her mobile phone and headed out, stopping by the front door to slip her shoes on before leaving.

* * *

"Reciept Number Fourteen," a metallic male voice reported. The yellow central orb of the Intelligent Device responded by absorbing the small shard of blue crystal, sealing it away in some extradimensional pocket.

"Good work, Bardiche," a soft female voice said aloud, just barely audible. She gingerly stepped around the body of a man, careful not to let the dead man's blood soak into her black leather ankle boots. "That makes three. Let's go home."

"Yes, sir," the Device confirmed. A yellow-white magic circle sprang into existence beneath the black-clad girl's feet as she began to recite the spatial coordinates that would activate a translocation spell. Since the distance wasn't much, the spell was quick to cast.

A flash of golden magical power engulfed both mage and Device as the movement magic took effect.

* * *

"Nanoha? Earth to Nanoha! Pay attention! Stop zoning out like that!"

Nanoha lifted her gaze and focused on the girl addressing her, a strawberry blonde with a fiery disposition and one of Nanoha's best friends. Alisa Bannings was loud and outspoken, occasionally obnoxious but one of the most fiercely loyal people Nanoha had ever met.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," explained Nanoha hastily, holding her hands up in surrender.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, exactly," Nanoha went on. "I've just been thinking a lot... about my brother and the new baby his wife is expecting... being an aunt and all."

"I'm going to be an aunt, too, now that I think about it," said the third teenager, a dark-haired girl with pale skin. "Since my older sister is married to your brother. I suppose that means we're family now and not just friends then, right?"

"That's true, Suzuka," said Nanoha, smiling slightly.

'Please, help me!'

Nanoha stopped suddenly. That voice again! The voice she had heard this morning-it was a dream, wasn't it? Then why was she hearing it again, this time while she was wide awake? Nanoha looked over at her friends, who were both gazing at her with worry in their eyes.

"Did you just hear that?" Nanoha inquired. Both Alisa and Suzuka stared at her for a moment and shook their heads.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything."

'Help me! Please!'

"That! I just heard a voice calling for help. I think it's coming from this direction," said Nanoha excitedly. Both Alisa and Suzuka looked at her oddly, then at each other as they shrugged and followed Nanoha as she broke into a run, heading off the path through the park and into the wooded area.

"What's going on, Nanoha? Cram school starts in twenty minutes; we really need to get going!"

Nanoha stopped and looked at her friends, sighing. She didn't want to get them into trouble, even if she were perfectly okay with getting herself into it. She nodded slightly.

"Just go on ahead of me," Nanoha said. "I'll meet up with you later, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Suzuka asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm sure," replied Nanoha a bit impatiently. "I don't know what's going on but I swear I heard someone's voice, and they sounded like they were hurt. I'll go see what happened and call an ambulance if it's bad."

Nanoha turned and ran through the woods, following a sense of urgency she felt but could not quite define. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew the source of the call had come from this direction. It wasn't long until she came across a small utility shed, probably used to hold the gardening tools used for park maintenance.

Nanoha had opened the utility shed's door. Inside the small building a young boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen, lay facedown on a convertable lawn chair that he had formed a makeshift bed out of. Nanoha's eyes widened in shock as her gaze fell across the boy's back. A gruesome scab stretched from one shoulder nearly to his waist, where some extremely sharp blade had cut deeply into his body and dug a wicked gash.

"You... you came..." said the boy weakly, sitting up and gasping from the pain. His wound was healing but it had a long way to go.

"You're hurt badly," Nanoha breathed, stepping forward to take a look at the injury. "Let me call an ambulance." She dug into her pocket, her hand closing around her mobile phone, preparing to make good on her promise when the boy's hand came up and grasped her wrist, stopping her.

"Don't... don't... oh, no... she's coming back! You have to help me or we're both going to die."

"Just what the hell's going on here, anyway?"

"You have the proper nature," the boy murmured weakly. "I can feel it within you. You were able to hear my call." Nanoha looked at the boy curiously as he placed something small and hard in her palm. She opened her hand and stared at a small sphere of red crystal, perfectly smooth.

"It-it's warm," Nanoha stuttered. The crystal felt more than just warm-it felt alive, as if there was something sentient and aware sleeping within the small sphere. Nanoha clutched it in her palm tightly. She could feel something that she'd never felt before, an incredible wellspring of power building within her.

"U-use the Raising Heart," murmured the boy, his voice barely audible. His green eyes drooped, threatening the oblivion of unconsciousness. "Call... to her... and..."

"Hey! Are you all right? Hey, wake up! Wake up!" Nanoha cried, but the boy had already fallen unconscious. His face was ashen and there were large dark circles etched under his eyes. He must've been utterly exhausted, on top of the wound. Nanoha walked closer to the boy, examining the wound to his back critically while she took out her mobile phone. No signal at all. She had made calls in this park before-was this spot, near the maintenance shed, a dead zone?

A massive explosion outside of the small shed shook the earth, knocking Nanoha to the ground. She lost her grip on her mobile phone and watched as it skittered away under a pile of gardening tools, out of reach.

"What the-?" Nanoha came charging out of the maintenance shed and nearly toppled headfirst into a large crater that hadn't been there a moment ago. Heat still rose from the edge of the gaping hole blasted in the ground. The edges of the soil had been turned to glass from the intense heat of the explosion.

A girl, perhaps her own age, maybe slightly younger, stood near the clearing, a long black weapon gripped tightly in her right hand. The girl wore a strange outfit consisting of a long black cloak and a form-fitting black bodysuit. Her legs were encased in thigh-high stockings and her feet were thrust in a pair of black leather ankle boots. A wide red belt and a short, ruffled pink skirt encircled her waist.

"[Scythe Form]."

The girl's weapon suddenly changed forms, the axe-like head of the device changing orientation by ninety degrees. A blazing yellow-white blade of radiant light sprang into being from beneath the weapon's main body.

Nanoha took three steps backward, staring at the brilliantly-glowing weapon leveled in her direction. This must be who the boy was speaking of. What the hell was going on here? Was this a dream?

"If you don't want to die, get out of my way," the black-clad girl said in a soft, melancholy tone.

"Call me, my master," a metallic female voice suddenly said, seemingly from nowhere. Nanoha stared openmouthed at the gemstone in her hand as it flashed with an inner light. "Call me, 'Raising Heart.' Instruct me to [Set Up], my master."

"What in the world... ?"

The gemstone flashed brightly but did not answer. Nanoha closed her eyes and clutched the glowing crystal to her chest, feeling the power raging just under the surface.

It was her power, her own magic. She only had to open her heart to receive it.

"Raising Heart, Set Up!"


	2. Chapter 1: Lyrical, Magical!

"Call me, my master," a metallic female voice suddenly said, seemingly from nowhere. Nanoha stared openmouthed at the gemstone in her hand as it flashed with an inner light. "Call me, 'Raising Heart.' Instruct me to [Set Up], my master."

"What in the world... ?"

The gemstone flashed brightly but did not answer. Nanoha closed her eyes and clutched the glowing crystal to her chest, feeling the power raging just under the surface.

It was her power, her own magic. She only had to open her heart to receive it.

"Raising Heart, Set Up!"

* * *

**Altered Course**  
Chapter #01 ~ Lyrical, Magical!

Yuuno teetered on the edge of consciousness. He watched from his prone position within the small utility shed as the girl who had answered his pleas activated the Intelligent Device. It had been a dangerous gamble to call out with magical thoughtspeech, but it had paid off. Despite having lured the mysterious black-clad mage, Yuuno had found someone who could sync with the Raising Heart.

He watched, his green eyes barely open, as the young girl with reddish-brown hair invoked Raising Heart's power. The small marble-shaped gemstone grew, forming a large red central orb around a long staff of pink, gold and white. Yuuno's level of sync with Raising Heart was so low he'd never actually been able to image the Device's actual form. What he was seeing now was a form unique to this girl.

Yuuno shook himself from these thoughts. While Raising Heart's wielder had the black-clad interloper distracted, he would be able to draw raw magical energy from the surrounding environment to heal himself completely. Thanks to the girl who had answered his summons, he would not die today.

* * *

Nanoha wasn't entirely sure how she knew, but she knew. Perhaps the Raising Heart was instructing her telepathically-or perhaps not. In any case, when she opened her eyes the flash of intense light had passed and she stood on the frost-kissed grass, no longer dressed in her school uniform.

Her clothing had changed-she wore a short but heavy overcoat and long white skirt with blue trim. It was both a product of her own imagination and the power within her that the Intelligent Device had unsealed. The small gemstone itself had transformed as well; it had assumed the shape of a long-hafted staff capped with a glowing ruby orb. The Device felt impossibly light and well-balanced in her hands.

"Another mage, same as me," the black-clad girl said in that same low, solemn tone. "Another Device, just like my Bardiche." She brandished the glowing energy scythe menacingly. The large yellow central orb of the black Device gleamed with a sinister inner light, as if confirming its mistress's words.

"What's going on here? Were you the one who hurt him?" Nanoha demanded.

"He was in the way, so I cut him," the girl said simply. "You're in my way as well."

The girl charged, rushing forward with such speed that Nanoha's eyes could barely track the movement. Before she could react, the black mage was within striking distance, whirling around for a powerful lateral slash. Instinctively Nanoha raised the staff in a rather ineffectual parry, closing her eyes tightly.

"[Protection]," stated Raising Heart calmly. A dome of crackling pink light sprang into being around Nanoha's body, deflecting the deadly blow high and away. The magical barrier sent Nanoha's attacker skittering back a few steps to land lightly to her right, a good twenty paces distant.

"That defense won't save you," the black mage said coldly.

"[Device Form]," Bardiche's cold voice snapped smartly. The glowing energy blade vanished as the Device's main body collapsed down upon itself. A glowing yellow magic circle sprang into being beneath the black mage's feet as she executed a new process.

"[Photon Lancer, Full Auto Fire]."

"Master! Evasion, [Flier Fin]."

Raising Heart's central orb flashed with ruby light as Nanoha felt herself growing lighter... lighter... until she felt as if she could leap into the sky itself. She followed Raising Heart's lead and leapt straight up with all of her might, feeling her body propelled through the air just moments before a barrage of golden bolts saturated the area where she had just been standing.

Nanoha felt her heart catch in her throat as she realized that she wasn't just jumping-she was flying! Shimmering pink wings had formed around her ankles as she struggled to maneuver through the air, landing lightly behind the utility shed. She heard the sound of booted feet crushing the frosty ground beneath. The slow footfalls sounded ominous in Nanoha's ears.

'Listen to me,' the boy's voice suddenly spoke into her mind. 'The Raising Heart is an Intelligent Device that provides a method for mages to utilize certain processes and spells. The spells you've already used are only part of the Device's power. You can also use it to attack.'

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Nanoha demanded aloud. "How are you doing that?"

'I'm speaking to you telepathically through thoughtspeech. Just think of what you want to communicate to me, rather than replying aloud.'

'Like this?' Nanoha thought toward the boy experimentally. She received a mental sensation that felt for all the world like the boy had just nodded at her.

'That's it exactly. Now, listen carefully to the link between you and the Raising Heart. I have no doubt that you will be able to handle it.'

'Wait! What in the world is going on? What is all this magic stuff? Hey! Are you there?'

There was no response. The boy must have fallen unconscious again, and the timing could not have been worse. The black-clad girl stood no more than four meters away, the Bardiche held tightly in her hands.

"I guess I'm on my own for this one," muttered Nanoha aloud. The other mage rushed forward wordlessly, swinging Bardiche around. Nanoha jumped backwards as the telltale yellow magic circle formed beneath the black mage's feet.

"Protection!" Nanoha shouted. The magical deflection field shimmered to life again just in time as a storm of yellow-glowing projectiles flew unerringly toward her. Unfortunately the attack proved too powerful for the protective barrier's field strength. Nanoha gasped in shock as the dome of protection started to crack and break apart under the onslaught.

The barrier exploded violently, sending fragments of dissipating magical energy through the air and obscuring the black-clad mage's view of her target. She frowned in mild frustration as Nanoha flew upward out of the dust cloud, gripping Raising Heart so hard her knuckles whitened.

"Raising Heart, please!"

"All right, my master. [Shooting Mode]."

Nanoha watched the staff alter its form, the twin cylindrical vent covers extending and the golden head re-forming into a wide forward-facing aperture. The central orb began to glow brightly with barely contained power.

"Let's shoot it: [Divine Shooter]."

'I can do this,' said Nanoha to herself, glaring down at the black-clad mage. Her opponent leapt up into the air, flying toward Nanoha at incredible speeds. The translucent wings flapped once and shimmered as Nanoha evaded to the right, gaining altitude as she aimed Raising Heart's aperture at the black-clad girl.

A glowing pink magical circle sprang into being beneath Nanoha's feet. Eight fiercely-glowing motes of bright light began to slowly form around her. She adjusted her grip on the staff and swung with all her might.

"Shoot!"

The eight points of magical light suddenly streaked forward, blasting through the air at supersonic speeds, all streaking unerringly toward the opposing mage. The black-clad girl canceled her flight spell abruptly, dropping from the sky like a stone, but the incoming projectiles wouldn't be so easily fooled. They altered vectors abruptly, streaking downward and slamming violently into their target.

The park grounds were rocked violently by the ensuing explosion.

"Did it hit? No... it didn't..."

The dust from the explosion cleared, revealing the black-clad mage's outstretched hand and a shimmering magical circle acting as a shield. The magical attack had been absorbed by the girl's point defense.

"Powerful, but lacking experience," the black-clad girl said softly.

'So that's how it is,' thought Nanoha. The defensive magic worked in different ways. She could use it as a wide-area defense at a given strength, or collapse the field for point defense against more concentrated attacks.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Nanoha demanded suddenly, Raising Heart leveled at the black-clad girl's body.

"Even if I told you, you probably wouldn't understand," the girl said, lunging forward. Her Device's main body snapped up ninety degrees as the blazing scythe re-ignited in mid-swing. Nanoha gasped in surprise and just barely managed to maneuver Raising Heart's shaft up in time to block what would have been a disemboweling strike.

"Too innocent," the girl said coolly as her booted foot lashed out in a vicious kick, catching Nanoha squarely in the side and knocking her from the sky. Nanoha cried out in pain as she slammed into the ground.

The black mage raised Bardiche high and swooped downward, preparing to finish the combat once and for all with a decisive overhead slash. Nanoha watched helplessly as the blazing scythe swung downward, seeking her head. She squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for the end-

-that didn't come.

"Chain Bind!"

"What? Impossible," snapped the black-clad girl harshly. Her swing had been halted, stopped by a pair of green-white magical chains wrapped around Bardiche's shaft. Nanoha opened her eyes and looked up to see the boy, standing beside her, a green-white circle of runes spinning gently at his feet.

"I won't let you kill her," Yuuno snarled threateningly. Two more chains of magical force sprang outward to wrap themselves around the black mage's feet, securely anchoring her in place.

The black-clad mage sniffed derisively. Bardiche's central orb blazed with golden fire as the Device triggered a contingency spell.

"[Recall]."

Yuuno shielded his eyes from the ensuing explosion of bright golden light. He was a savvy enough mage to recognize the spell, a type of movement magic often prepared in advance by mages who expected to enter dangerous territory. It had the advantage of being prepared and cast in advance and held in a quasi-active state within the Device's cache memory. With only a thought, the black-clad mage and her Device had transported themselves back to a predetermined location.

For now, they were safe.

"That was a close one," Yuuno breathed, clearly relieved. "Can you stand?"

"Y-yes," mumbled Nanoha weakly, accepting the offered hand and standing, still a bit shaky on her feet, but apparently unharmed.

"I'm sorry about all this," the boy said in a contrite tone. "I didn't want to get you involved in this, but I didn't have much of a choice..."

Nanoha looked at the boy with some concern. The wound to his back seemed to be much improved, but he still looked pale and weak. Nanoha's eyes widened in shock as the boy fell to his knees and coughed wetly. Blood spattered the ground and dripped from his lips.

"Guess I wasn't really feeling one hundred percent just yet," he said weakly, offering a sheepish smile. "But I couldn't let you get hurt after you saved my life."

"Never mind that, we have to get you to a hospital," said Nanoha urgently. The boy waved off her suggestion and shook his head.

"I'll be all right," he said, struggling to stand back up. "I just need some time to heal myself is all."

"What's going on here? Who are you? Who was that girl? Why did she try to kill me? Oh, God... what the hell is all this?"

Yuuno sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Nanoha sat across from the boy at a small outdoor eatery in the city. It was already getting late... she would never make it to cram school at this rate. She'd have to come up with a really good excuse as to why she hadn't been able to make it, but she was sure Alisa and Suzuka would be able to back her up on that.

For now, though, her undivided attention was focused on the sandy-haired boy she had almost died trying to save.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves," said the boy shyly. "My name is Yuuno Scrya. I'm an archaeologist and magician. Scrya is the name of my clan, so it would be like my surname. Yuuno is my first name."

"I'm Nanoha Takamachi," Nanoha said, smiling a little. "I'm a seventh-grade student at Seishou Auxillary Elementary School. Nice to meet you, Yuuno."

"I'm sorry I got you mixed up in my problem," muttered Yuuno softly.

"It's okay, Yuuno," replied Nanoha gently. "Really. But I think it would help if you told me a little more about your problem. Maybe I might be able to help you out with it?"

Yuuno nodded. "I'm not from this world, but from Midchilda, another world that is much like this one. The Scrya clan is a group of archaeologists and researchers. During one of our expeditions, I had discovered a number of crystallized magical fragments-artifacts of immense power known as 'Jewel Seeds.' I felt they were dangerous and warranted study under secure conditions, so I had them sent back to Midchilda.

"Unfortunately, the artifacts were lost in an attack that destroyed the transport carrying them. I spent many months trying to discover where they ended up and I eventually traced them back to this planet. I traveled here as soon as I could to recover the Jewel Seeds, but..."

"But someone else was already here looking for them," Nanoha finished. "The girl in black is looking for them, too, isn't she?"

"I'm afraid so," said Yuuno grimly. "I don't know what her reasons are for seeking the Jewel Seeds, but nothing good can come from that power. By their very nature they're unstable and extremely difficult to control. It would take a very powerful and savvy mage to properly utilize their power... and even then there would be a high risk of disaster."

"Who was that girl? She looked... like she had a very strong reason for seeking the Jewel Seeds," said Nanoha softly. Yuuno shook his head and looked up at the sky.

"I don't know who she was, but I'm certain that she comes from the same world as I do," he replied at length. "She uses the same system of magic, and her Intelligent Device... I'm positive she's from Midchilda."

"I wonder what her reasons for fighting are," wondered Nanoha aloud. "She looked... pretty desperate."

Yuuno didn't respond.

"Ah! It's so late! I need to get home or my mom's going to kill me," exclaimed Nanoha suddenly, staring at the clock on her mobile phone. "I already missed cram school-I'm going to get in big trouble."

"I'm sorry about that," said Yuuno contritely. Nanoha shook her head in response.

"I told you, don't worry about it. It was my choice to help you then, and it's still my choice to help you now. I have my own life-school and my family and friends, but when I'm not busy, I can help you track down the Jewel Seeds if you want."

"It's going to be dangerous," warned Yuuno. "We're sure to encounter that black mage again."

"But just leaving them would be more dangerous," countered Nanoha. "I'm not too happy about leaving dangerous things like Jewel Seeds just laying around my hometown. It would cause a problem for a lot of people."

"All right," said Yuuno somewhat reluctantly. 'I'll always be connected with you through thoughtspeech as long as you have the Raising Heart.'

'Okay! I'll see you later, Yuuno!'

Yuuno smiled slightly as Nanoha stood up and turned back toward her home, walking quickly down the sidewalk. He didn't like it, but he was relieved. He knew he couldn't fight the black-clad mage on even terms, but this girl... this girl had incredible magical potential.

Not only did she manage to sync perfectly with a finicky Intelligent Device like the Raising Heart, but in her first battle she managed to stand toe-to-toe with an experienced mage and survive, even excel.

Maybe, just maybe... things would turn out all right.


	3. Chapter 2: Lost Logia

Separation from the body of Christ.  
Town divided in numerous districts.

The globe all covered be wanderers. They roam with no direction.  
The holy land, the promised land - your time will come and they will be returned.

Attach us to your graceful limbs, the pierced palms.  
Should our ways diverge, we will be doomed to our deadly fate.

* * *

**Altered Course**  
Chapter #02: Lost Logia

Nanoha slowly crept through the front lawn of her house, sneaking around toward the side gate. Fortunately, it was unlatched and she was able to slip in and quickly make her way across the back yard, heading for the side door leading to the kitchen. She would be able to slip up the stairs to her bedroom without anyone seeing her.

Or so she thought.

"And just where have you been all evening, Nanoha?"

Nanoha froze at the sound of her older sister's voice, her expression sheepish.

"Ah... that is to say..."

"You didn't go to cram school," said Miyuki worriedly. "Suzuka called the house about an hour ago, saying you never showed up. What's going on? What happened to your face?"

Nanoha's eyes widened and she clapped her hands to her face, vainly trying to hide the rapidly-darkening bruise on her cheek. When the black-clad mage had kicked her and knocked her from the air, she had slammed into the ground hard enough to cause such damage.

"Ah, Miyuki-oneechan, you see... when we were on our way to cram school, I heard someone calling out for help, so I went to go see what was wrong... but I lost my footing and fell down a hill..."

Miyuki peered suspiciously at her younger sister, pushing her wire-rimmed glasses higher up on her nose with an index finger.

"... and I hit my head on a tree root. When I woke up, it was already nighttime," finished Nanoha in a small voice. She hated lying to Miyuki, but there was no way her older sister would ever believe what had actually happened to her that evening.

Miyuki's suspicious expression dissolved into one of concern. "Idiot. You should have called us! You made me so worried and you were laying unconscious on the ground..."

"I'm sorry, oneechan," murmured Nanoha softly.

"It's okay. Just don't scare us like that again," said Miyuki with a smile, patting her younger sister on the head. "Are you hungry? There's still some sukiyaki left from dinner."

"I'll have some."

"All right," said Miyuki, walking into the kitchen. "It'll be a few minutes, so go get cleaned up."

* * *

The black-clad mage stood on the roof of a tall office building in downtown Uminari, the wind whipping against her violently, blowing her hair out behind her. She was dressed not in her Barrier Jacket, but instead in civilian clothing, a simple black one-piece with a short skirt and a pair of black boots. Her long blond hair was bound in a low ponytail with a black bow.

"It's close," she murmured aloud. "I can feel it seething with power. The third Lost Logia... the third Jewel Seed we'll collect."

The small golden triangle in her left hand gleamed with an inner light.

"Bardiche, awaken. It's time to go to work," the girl commanded.

"Yes, sir."

With a flash of golden light, the Intelligent Device altered its form, quickly booting out of its suspended mode and into a fully active state. The shard of golden crystal warped and altered into the Device's central orb. Flashes of bright magic heralded the appearance of the haft and axe-like main body.

"[Barrier Jacket, Lightning Form]," Bardiche intoned. A blazing explosion of golden light enveloped the girl's body, flashing through her as the defensive magic took hold. Her ordinary clothing was replaced with the lightweight protective armor of a skirmisher-type mage.

A golden magic circle appeared beneath the black mage's feet. She closed her reddish-brown eyes and concentrated on her power, seeking the faint reaction from the Jewel Seed. The seals that the archaeological team had placed on the artifacts were starting to break down. She would have to finish collecting the remaining twenty-two before that happened.

"How long until the seals completely decay and the Jewel Seeds start to activate uncontrollably?"

"Approximately nine days, sixteen hours, five minutes," Bardiche replied helpfully.

"That's a good boy," the girl said softly, patting the main body of her Intelligent Device fondly. "Let's get going."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Nanoha sat alone at the dinner table, chewing thoughtfully on a mouthful of stewed beef and mushrooms. Even reheated, her mother's cooking was wonderful. But Nanoha could barely taste the food, so lost in thought she was.

She was worried about Yuuno. The wound to his back would have killed a normal person, but Yuuno was able to not only survive, but actually help fight the black mage. But the wound wasn't totally healed. He'd refused treatment, refused to be taken to a hospital and went off somewhere on his own. Nanoha had no idea where he was or if she would even see him again.

For some reason, the idea that she would never see him again bothered her intensely. She didn't know why.

'I told you I would be okay. You don't have to worry so much.'

Nanoha's eyes widened in shock. That was Yuuno's voice-echoing through her mind.

'Yuuno... ? You're okay?'

'Yes,' the boy replied through thoughtspeech. 'My back still hurts... but the bleeding's completely stopped. I'll be good as new in a few days. You really saved me back there, Nanoha. She would have finished me off for sure. Thank you.'

Nanoha blushed, glad that Yuuno was speaking to her telepathically rather than in person. He wouldn't be able to see it. 'Y-your welcome...'

'I'm sorry for getting you involved in all of this,' Yuuno went on. 'It's just...'

'Stop right there,' Nanoha warned him. 'If you keep talking, I'm going to get mad.'

'Eh?'

'You were going to say that it's better for you to work alone, and that I shouldn't get involved in this any further,' Nanoha accused mentally. 'I'm not just helping you for your sake, Yuuno. I'm doing this because I want to.'

'Why? It has nothing to do with you-'

'It does,' retorted Nanoha. 'These dangerous artifacts are lost in my hometown. You haven't really told me much about them but I'm smart enough to know that a lot of people could get hurt, even die, if we leave them.'

Yuuno didn't reply.

'All right,' he relented, 'I'm grateful for your help. The magic seals we placed on the Jewel Seeds when we first discovered them have already started to decay. In just under ten days, the seals will completely dissipate. We have to find them before that happens, or the black mage takes them.'

'What happens if the seals are gone?' Nanoha wanted to know.

'We're not precisely sure. When we discovered them, they were unsealed yet dormant. We sealed them as rapidly as we could to prevent them from becoming active. If the seals decay, there is a possibility that the Jewel Seeds will activate.'

'What happens if they activate?'

'Nothing good at least,' replied Yuuno grimly. 'I'm going to go investigate a few things tonight. I felt something like a spike of magical power earlier-it may be that the black mage is on the move again.'

'I'll come help you!'

'I'm just going to gather data. I won't be fighting anyone, not in my condition anyway. You used a lot of magic today that you've never used before. Take it easy.'

'... all right,' Nanoha responded glumly. The mental connection was broken and Nanoha was once again left alone with her thoughts and her rapidly-cooling bowl of sukiyaki.

* * *

Miyuki yawned and opened her eyes slowly, blinking the dryness away. Sunlight filtered in through the window in her bedroom, shining directly in her eyes. She put up a hand to shield them as she adjusted to the bright light.

"Morning already?" Miyuki muttered aloud, yawning again. She was so tired... she just wanted to roll back over and go to sleep. Instead she stood up, pulling off her nightshirt and quickly dressing. She pulled a black tanktop over her head and slipped a pair of track pants on.

Miyuki walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, taking out a carafe filled with orange juice and pouring herself a glass. A glass of juice, a quick hour of practice and a hot shower should wake her up good. Miyuki drained the glass rapidly and set it down on the counter before heading out the side door to the back yard.

The dojo dominated most of the Takamachi house's backyard, but it was where three of the five members of the family spent a great deal of time. Miyuki felt somewhat lonely now that Kyouya had moved in with his wife and Shirou's injuries were preventing him from practicing often. Solo practice was one thing, but it wasn't close to sparring with a live and skilled opponent.

Miyuki walked into the dojo and took one of the wooden practice swords off the rack on the wall. She fell into a swordsman's stance and closed her eyes, breathing deeply in, holding for a moment, then breathing deeply out.

She knew something strange was going on with her little sister. As she worked through the various sword katas that made up the foundations of her style, she thought about what could be troubling Nanoha. Perhaps there was a boy she liked? No, it didn't feel like that at all.

Nanoha was in some kind of trouble. Miyuki didn't know how she knew, but she knew. With Kyouya gone, it was Miyuki's responsibility to protect their baby sister. She decided that she would stay close to Nanoha today and make sure she wasn't involved in anything she shouldn't be.

* * *

Miyuki had followed Nanoha this far, but she still had no idea what her little sister had gotten herself involved in. It was a small Shinto shrine about two kilometers from the Takamachi household, a place Miyuki herself often visited when her father had been hospitalized. But Nanoha had never come here before, and Miyuki didn't exactly consider her little sister to be very devout.

She watched from her vantage point behind a clump of bushes as Nanoha stood near the shrine as if waiting for someone. It wasn't long until a sandy-haired boy, no older than fourteen, came running up. Nanoha jumped up and waved excitedly at the newcomer.

At first Miyuki smiled and shook her head. So it was a boyfriend after all. She decided that it would be rude to keep watching her sister and she turned to walk back home, but a strange sensation rippled through the air. Miyuki felt a faint pressure on her mind-an ominous sensation.

'What in the world... ?'

Miyuki watched, openmouthed, as her little sister plucked the small red jewel she wore around her neck and held it high in the air. She said something aloud that Miyuki couldn't quite hear, and the jewel began to shine with radiant light.

Miyuki shielded her eyes from the bright flash. The first thing she could think of was that there had been an explosion and her sister had been caught in it. As soon as the bright glow started to fade, Miyuki opened her eyes, preparing to rush out to Nanoha. But there was no inferno, no blasted landscape.

Instead her sister stood dressed in a strange white uniform trimmed with blue, red and gold. The gemstone held between her forefinger and thumb suddenly flashed with pink-white light as it metamorphosed into a long-hafted staff capped with a large red orb of crystal.

Miyuki could only stare, frozen in place.

* * *

"It's here," said Yuuno definitively. "She hasn't gotten this one yet, and the seal in place is still fairly strong."

"Maybe that's why she wasn't able to find this one before we did," Nanoha suggested.

"True," Yuuno mused aloud. "The seals prevent the Jewel Seeds from emitting any magical energy. If they were to decay, the more energy the artifacts would release. That has to be how she's tracking them."

"How are you tracking them?" Nanoha wanted to know, staring at the small shard of blue crystal nervously.

"By searching for the magical signature of the seals," replied Yuuno as a green-white magic circle formed underneath his feet. "The magic is of the Scrya clan-it's as familiar to me as my own name. Finding them should be easier for us than they are for her, at least until the seals fail..."

"Anyway, let's hurry and recover this one before the black mage shows up-"

A golden bolt of energy arrowed through the air, heading directly for Nanoha's head. Yuuno gasped and quickly cast a defensive spell, bringing a magical point defense into existence between the oncoming projectile and the girl.

A massive explosion rocked the shrine's grounds, sending a cloud of dust high into the air. Nanoha and Yuuno both coughed from the results of the deflected attack. Yuuno's defense had sent the magical blast ricocheting into the ground. A meter-wide crater had been blasted into the flagstone walkway.

As the dust began to clear, Yuuno and Nanoha could both clearly see the black-clad mage, her blond ponytail gently wafting in the wind. Her Intelligent Device was held low at her side in a loose grip. She fixed a melancholy reddish-brown stare on Nanoha and Yuuno.

"You're in my way," she said simply, snapping Baridiche up into a ready stance. The Device's main body angled upward and ignited the blazing energy scythe with a sharp snap-hiss.

Nanoha swung Raising Heart around, pointing the business end of the Device directly at the newcomer. "Who are you? Why are you collecting the Jewel Seeds?"

"Alicia Testarossa," the black mage said simply. "My reasons are my own. I do not see a need to explain myself to my enemies."

"Why do we have to be enemies?" Nanoha demanded. "If you'd just tell us why you're doing this... I'm sure we could find a solution where everyone's happy, and nobody has to fight..."

Alicia's lips contorted into a small smile. "I doubt that very seriously. Bardiche!"

"[Arc Saber]."

The black-clad mage swung her Device around in a wicked arc, sending the glowing energy blade spinning through the air, heading directly for Nanoha. Her eyes widened as she leapt straight up into the air. Small pink-white wings blazed into being around her ankles.

"[Flier Fin]," Raising Heart stated. Nanoha maintained her flight magic as Alicia renewed the attack, re-igniting Bardiche's energy scythe and leaping into the air to slash at Nanoha directly.

"Chain Bind!" Yuuno shouted as four green-white magical anchors leapt out of the ground before him, wrapping themselves around Alicia's ankles and wrists. The black-clad mage struggled against the binding magic, glaring angrily at Yuuno.

"This won't stop me," she said aloud. A golden magic circle sprang into being beneath her feet as she worked a counterspell, shattering the lengths of chain. Yuuno gasped in shock as Alicia's body seemed to blur and vanish.

"Short-range movement magic!" Yuuno shouted at Nanoha, but it was too late. Alicia's body blurred back into visibility directly in front of the white-jacketed mage. Her body spun around in a blinding series of slashes almost too fast for the eye to follow.

"Nanoha!" Yuuno cried, watching the brown-haired girl slam into the wall of the nearby shrine, gasping desperately for breath.

Apparently she had managed to maneuver Raising Heart in time to block the attack, but the force had thrown her back hard enough against the building to knock the wind from her. The Device's autoguard should have protected her from serious harm.

Yuuno's green eyes hardened as he willed a spell into being. The green-glowing circle of runes formed underneath him as he channeled magical energy into a dimensional lock. The air around the shrine seemed to waver and shift oddly, leaving the colors of the surrounding area appearing slightly washed-out.

The dimensional lock would prevent anyone inside the field effect from using movement magic. Yuuno, a master of translocation spells, was also intimately familiar with ways to prevent enemy mages from utilizing them. Nanoha had already recovered from the blitzkreig attack against her. If only Yuuno could get Alicia out of melee-Nanoha's strength lie in her bombardment spells.

"Chain Bind!" Yuuno shouted, enacting the same binding spell he had before. The chains wrapped tightly around Alicia's body and halted her advances. It would be dispelled, Yuuno knew, but the couple of seconds it would take the black-clad mage to remove the bind would give Nanoha her range.

Predictably enough the chains shattered a few seconds later, but Nanoha had already gained enough distance. Yuuno's ploy had worked.

"[Shooting Mode]," Raising Heart stated. The Device altered its form to better accomodate direct-fire spells. Nanoha aimed the device at the oncoming close-combat mage, a pink-white circle of runes forming underneath her feet.

The central orb of Raising Heart began to glow brightly with barely-contained energy. Magical runes slowly orbited the aperture of the Device as the powerful bombardment spell slowly built up a charge.

"Divine Buster!" Nanoha shouted. With a deafening boom, the aperture of Raising Heart vented forth a torrent of raving pink-white magic force. The intense beam of radiant light streaked through the air at incredible speed.

Alicia had already predicted such a ploy from these two, but she was unprepared for the power contained within that spell. She dodged to her left, but the attack still scored a glancing blow, sending the black-clad mage spiraling through the air to slam heavily into the grassy earth below.

She struggled to her feet, gritting her teeth through the pain. She was lucky. If she had taken that attack head-on, she probably wouldn't have been breathing for much longer. Planting Bardiche's shaft into the dirt, she levered herself to her feet and resolutely assumed a combat stance.

* * *

Miyuki could no longer stand by and watch.

Her younger sister was fighting well, but it was clear to the bespectacled young woman that the black-clad girl was more experienced and knowledgeable. If left to their own devices, the fight would be over and Nanoha would be the one laying facedown on the ground.

Miyuki couldn't let that happen. She nervously crept around the stand of trees she hid behind, making her way toward the small shrine. Inside was a sword-Miyuki had seen it several times before when she had come to this shrine to wish for her father's recovery.

According to the priestess who maintained this small shrine, the sword was very old and had been handed down through her family for generations. It was rumored to be a holy sword that had once been wielded against demons, many years ago. Miyuki wasn't sure how much of the legend was true, but she couldn't just stand there and watch her baby sister get hurt!

Miyuki opened the sliding door leading to the inside of the shrine. She absently made a warding sign of apology for entering the shrine with her shoes on, but it was an emergency and she didn't have time.

The sword was still exactly where she had seen it the first time, hanging majestically on an ornately-carved cherry-wood stand. Hesitantly she reached out and grasped the sword by the scabbard-

-and she nearly dropped it as a pulse of incredible power surged through her body. She stared down, openmouthed at the weapon as it began to softly radiate a deep reddish-black light.

Not knowing quite what to expect, Miyuki grasped the throat of the scabbard in her left hand, drawing the blade with her right in a smooth motion. She had never seen the blade unsheathed before and didn't quite know what to expect, but what she saw surprised her.

The sword's blade wasn't the usual brightly-polished steel of a masterwork blade, but instead appeared to be a dull, matte dark gray in color. The flat of the blade was etched with countless runes that seemed to glow with the same reddish-black aura as the rest of the weapon.

The legends must've been true. This was much more than an ordinary sword.

A massive explosion rocked the shrine grounds and nearly knocked Miyuki from her feet. She slammed the sword back into its sheath and rushed out the door. Nanoha and the sandy-haired boy were both covered in scorch marks, their protective clothing ripped and damaged. Miyuki's blood began to boil as she noticed a deep slash burned into Nanoha's thigh.

The young woman drew the red-glowing sword resolutely, her blue eyes hardening.

She would protect her sister with her own two hands.


End file.
